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A series of events were held in Seoul’s Hangang Park on seven Sundays between September and the end November to help extend the experience of IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics, the flagship of the IAAF School / Youth Programme, to a greater number of children in Korea.

The 2013 Korean Association of Athletics Federation (KAAF) Kids Run Challenge brought children between the ages of six to 13 in contact with the basic principles of athletics by allowing them to participate in a variety of sprinting, jumping and throwing activities; with the emphasis definitely being on having fun.

Hundreds of Seoul schoolchildren, with the numbers almost equally divided between the genders and usually accompanied by their parents, made their way to the Korean capital's famous landmark beside the Han River during the seven Sunday sessions, and were coached in the basic skills by student volunteers.

Participants not only got a scorecard of their achievements as a memento, with free beverages provided by Nestlé, but ‘Athletes of the day’ also got other gifts provided by local sponsors.

The 2013 events, which got widespread media attention, have laid the foundations for a further series of events in Seoul during 2014 and the KAAF is looking to introduce theIAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics programme into other towns and cities across Korea in the coming years.

“We strongly believe that this could be a breakthrough in nurturing dreams about athletics into the next generation,” said a spokesman for the KAAF.

Created in 2005 and with the support of its partner ‘Nestlé Healthy Kids’ since January 2012, IAAF / Nestlé Kids Athletics – which aims to introduce children to Athletics in fun activities at a basic level – is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sports.